Shifting Destiny
by DragonBlade152
Summary: Alf, grandson of Hiccup, has never seen a dragon, only heard tell of them in stories. This all changes when he sees a Night Fury—the rarest dragon—deep in the woods. The next day a stranger washes up, a girl with strange eyes and an even stranger secret.
1. Alf

Here's another story I happened to find. It's a little...odd, but if you like oddness, read on!

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><p>There were no dragons on Berk, nor had there been any for fifteen years. Alf knew this for a fact, because he was fifteen and the last dragon had left the day before he was born. At least, that's what his mother, Valhallarama—or Halla for short—said, and she should know. She was the daughter of Hiccup, the late chief of the tribe. Everyone agreed that he had been a good chief, though he had grown increasingly eccentric in his later years. Alf had never really known his grandfather. Hiccup had disappeared when Alf was little. The only thing Alf really remembered was going into the forest with Hiccup and him muttering something about toothless, though Alf had no idea what he had been talking about.<p>

"Alf, dinner in an hour!"

"OK, mom!"

Alf stood up and dusted his hands on his vest, destroying the dragon he had been drawing in the dirt with his foot. An hour would give him plenty of time to go rooting through the attic. He was crossing the village square when he heard a voice call out, "Well, if it isn't the worm."

"Shut up, Spitelout." Alf said through clenched teeth. Spitelout was tall, muscular, and none too bright: a natural bully. His favorite target was Alf. With a small, wiry frame, red hair, and a mouth that occasionally ran away with him, the only advantage Alf had was his speed. He could outrun almost anyone in the village, which was the reason why he wasn't constantly covered in bruises.

"Careful, worm. You might end up crazy like your grandpa."

"Shut up!"

"I bet he never really did any of the things they say he did. People just humored him because he was the chief."

Alf ran off, hot tears welling up in his eyes. He always got upset when people talked about his grandpa like that. The problem was that Spitelout was probably right. There were only four or five people who were even alive when Hiccup had performed his heroic feat still around, and they had all been too young to remember it. Most of the village had already dismissed it as either untrue or blown out of proportion. The fact that Hiccup had begun losing his wits after his wife died didn't help matters.

Sheltered in the green depths of the forest, Alf angrily scrubbed the wetness from his eyes.

"I'm such a baby." He muttered inaudibly. A twig snapped, causing him to look up. Had Spitelout followed him? What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

It was a Night Fury. There was nothing else it could be. Soot-black scales reflected no light. Twin tail fins flattened ferns. A shovel-shaped head nosed among the foliage. Wings, folded along its back, gave the illusion of a huge, humpbacked body. A small gasp escaped Alf's lips. Ears twitched, and the dragon turned its head slowly, ominously, to stare at the place where Alf sat, half hidden in the ferns. Moss-colored eyes met yellowish-green ones. Alf couldn't breathe. Terrified, he waited for the dragon's claws to rip him to pieces. The Night Fury held his gaze for a few seconds before turning and flying off with blinding speed. Taking a deep breath, Alf stood up and cautiously ventured to where the dragon had been. Only flattened plants showed that it had ever been there. Alf was about to leave when something black caught his eye. Hesitantly, he picked it up. It was a scale, round and sharp-edged. He put it in one of the many pockets that lined his woolen vest. No one would believe him even with the scale, so Alf decided not to tell anyone.

Alf took the long way around to his house, circling around half the village and coming in through the back door. Not in the mood to answer questions, he snuck up the stairs into the attic. His house was the only one in the village to have one. Hiccup had put it in on the principle that smaller rooms were easier to heat in the winter. For the most part he had been right, for which Alf was extremely grateful when he was out gathering firewood. The attic also served as a place to store seasonal items or things that were potentially useful but not needed at the moment. After two generations it had become rather cluttered. Alf had volunteered to try to clean it out, on the condition that he could keep whatever he wanted provided no one else wanted it. As a result, he had amassed a wide assortment of stuff, most of which he cobbled together to create (mostly) useful things. His mother would smile and say he got it from his grandpa. His father would then rumble that the only thing he hadn't gotten from his grandpa was his hair.

Alf went to the farthest corner of the attic. Maybe he had dragons on the brain and knew that's where his grandpa's stuff was. Or maybe thought people would be less likely to disturb him. Whatever it was, he began sifting through the piles of junk. Buried under a heap of old leather and cloth was a large, flat something carefully wrapped in oilcloth and leather straps. Curious, he undid the buckles and untied the knots. The cloth fell away, revealing a saddle. It wasn't a horse saddle; no one on Berk rode horses. The one thing Vikings had ridden had been gone for fifteen years. The saddle was made of black leather strips woven together, allowing it some flexibility. Long and flat, there was maybe room for two small people, though there was only one set of stirrups. Alf picked it up. Pretty light for a saddle. Turning it this way and that, he was visualizing how it would go on a dragon when he heard a soft _thunk_. Looking down, he saw a small box lying on the cloth. He set down the saddle and picked it up. It was about as wide as his hand and a little longer. On the back a carved Monstrous Nightmare curled up, napping. On one side a Gronkle sat, tongue out. On the other a Zippleback twined its two heads together. A Nadder stalked the front, looking like it was trying to peer around the corner. On the top, a Terror and a Night Fury played tug-of-war with a fish. It looked so realistic; he half-expected the Night Fury to jerk the fish away and eat it. Curious as to what could be in such a magnificent box, he undid the latch—shaped like a claw—and opened the lid.

Scales. The box was half-full with black, round, sharp-edged scales, identical to the one in the pocket. Night Fury scales. Alf gently stirred them with his finger. This was proof that his grandpa had flown on a Night Fury.

"Alf, dinner!"

"Coming, mom!"

Alf quickly wrapped the saddle and box in the cloth and deposited them in his room on his way down to dinner. After dinner he went back to his room to reexamine his new treasures. The saddle was in amazing condition for something that had lain in the farthest reaches of the attic for so long. The leather was supple and the buckles untarnished. On the left stirrup he found a tiny H carved deep into the strap. H for Hiccup. His Grandpa had made this. Had he also made the box? Turning it upside down, Alf found a small ordinate A in one corner. Who was A? A raindrop hit the windowsill. He set down the box and went to his window. Purple storm clouds brooded over the sea, heavy with rain. Alf closed the shutters just in time. A huge gust of wind slammed into the house. It was going to be a bad storm.

That night Alf lay in bed and listened to the rain lashing the house and the wind howling when it couldn't get inside. A memory came of when he was small.

_There was a bad storm. Lightning flashed and thunder shook the walls. Alf buried his head under the covers, trembling. A particularly loud crash of thunder sent him running for his parents' room. He was halfway there when his grandpa caught him and picked him up._

_ "Storm scared you?"_

_ Alf nodded and buried his face in Hiccup's fur vest. It smelled like smoke and fish and something Alf couldn't quite place. Hiccup gently stoked his head._

_ "Storms scare me, too. How about I tell you a story?"_

_ "About dragons?" Alf asked, his terror forgotten. He loved his grandpa's stories about dragons. It didn't matter that they seemed a bit far-fetched._

_ "Yep. How about a story of Toothless the Night Fury?"_

_ "OK."_

_ Hiccup carried Alf back into his room, tucked him in, and sat on the edge of the bed._

_ "When I was a boy…"_

Alf smiled as he fell asleep. He dreamed that he was flying over the ocean. The sun set behind the island. As he came around the island he saw something that made his heart stop. Huge dark clouds raced towards him. He needed to get to shelter, and fast. As fast as Alf flew, the storm was faster. A gust of wind tore him from the sky as rain pelted him. He couldn't keep himself in the air. The sea raced up to meet him…

Gasping, Alf sat up. The dream had seemed so real. He looked around. Dimly he could make out the shape of his chest of clothes, with the box of scales sitting on top of it. Rain still drummed against the shutters, but with less force. He curled back up in his blankets and fell asleep, his dream fading into forgetfulness.


	2. The Girl

The storm stopped some time shortly after dawn. Trees had been blown over and some roofs were in bad need of repair, but thankfully that was the extent of the damage. After making sure there was nothing else he could do to help, Alf went to the docks. Occasionally something valuable or interesting would be washed up. At the end of one of the piers he saw a large something. It looked like a large dark bundle of some sort. When he got close enough he stopped and gasped. The thing was a girl. She was half on the pier, dark hair covering her face, clinging to the boards as the waves tried to reclaim her. Alf ran over and hauled her all the way onto the pier. He rolled her onto her side as she began vomiting and coughing up seawater. When she was done he brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes were closed and her breath came in short, shallow gasps. Alf ran all the way back to the village, no small feat considering the entire way was up a series of steep ramps that clung to the cliff face.

"Dad, dad!" he cried as he searched to village. He found his dad helping to carry a new beam to a damaged house. "Dad, there's a girl at the docks." Alf panted, "I think she got washed up by the storm."

Alf's dad handed the beam to another Viking. "Show me."

Alf led his dad to the pier where the girl still lay. After checking to make sure she was breathing his dad gently picked her up.

"Go tell your mom I'm bringing her. Hurry!"

Alf ran back to the village and found his mom weaving at her loom.

"Mom, I found a girl at the docks. The storm washed her up. Dad's bringing her."

She immediately stood and hurried to get a bed ready. Alf's dad came in a minute later.

"Bring her in here, Bjorn." She called from their spare room. He carried her in and laid her on the bed.

"She's alive, but I can't say much more."

"Alf, get me a bowl of water and some rags. Clean ones, mind."

For the rest of the morning Alf was busy carrying and fetching. Finally his mother said, "There's nothing more we can do. Call me when she wakes."

Gratefully, Alf sank into a chair. All that running had left him tired. Now that he wasn't constantly moving, he had a chance to get a good look at the girl. She looked to be about the same age as Alf, or maybe a bit older. Her hair was coal-black and went well past her shoulders. She was fair-skinned, but her hands bore calluses and her arms seemed muscular for her age. With a small nose, high cheekbones, and long dark lashes, she was pretty, in Alf's opinion. Not a ravishing beauty, but pretty none the less. After about an hour the girl's eyes flickered open.

"Mom, she's awake!" Alf called, turning back just in time to catch a glimpse of surprise on the girl's face before it was replaced by wariness.

"My name's Alf." He said as his mom came in with a steaming bowl of broth.

"Fray." The girl said, so softly Alf barely heard it.

"Well, Fray, I'm Alf's mother. You can call me Halla."

Fray sat up and accepted the bowl. Alf's eyes grew wide as she inhaled the broth. Halla smiled as she took the empty bowl.

"I'll go get some more. After that you should rest. Call if you need anything."

Alf began to follow his mother out before stopping and turning to get one last look at Fray. He found himself staring into yellowish-green eyes, the same eyes he had found himself staring into yesterday in the forest.

The next day Fray was well enough to get out of bed. After breakfast Halla said, "Why don't you show Fray around, Alf?"

Alf, curious about Fray, agreed to show her around without arguing. Fray silently followed him outside.

"This is Berk." Alf's gesture included the entire island. He started walking towards the middle of the village, saw Spitelout coming towards them, and did an abrupt about-face. "I'll show you the forest first." He began heading for the safety of the woods but was too slow.

"Hey, worm, is that the trash you found at the docks yesterday?"

Alf winced as he turned around. "Shut up, Spitelout."

Spitelout grinned nastily as he surveyed Fray. "Looks like flotsam to me."

"Better to keep your mouth shut and have everyone think you're an idiot than to open it and remove all doubt."

Alf blinked in surprise. Other than her name, this was the only time he had heard Fray speak, and he was able to catch a trace of an accent. She turned and walked away. Alf glanced at Spitlout's face, red with anger, before hurrying to catch up.

"You'd better be careful. Spitelout's not going to forget that."

Fray shrugged. Alf sighed and began showing Fray around. By the end of the day she was acquainted with the village and surrounding area. That night at dinner, with a lot of prodding and cajoling, Fray said she had fallen off a ship during a storm and had spent the night trying to swim to any kind of safety. Further questioning revealed that she had no parents, living relatives, or any definite plan. Bjorn offered to take her in, and Fray accepted with a nod and a quiet "thank you." The next day Halla began teaching her how to weave on the small loom usually used for things like baby blankets. Fray proved to be quiet in the extreme, saying next to nothing and never looking anyone in the eye. Half the time Alf didn't even know she was around until she moved. It was a little funny, though, when people in the village would talk about her and jump when she walked past. A week and a half passed by uneventfully. Alf was crossing the square late in the afternoon when Spitelout stepped in his path.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the worm."

"Move it, Spitelout."

"Where's that trash you found a while ago? Still stinking up your house?"

"Shut up."

"You know, it's a bad idea to take rats into your home."

Alf saw Fray come up behind Spitelout. She looked mad. "I wouldn't call her that…"

"That's what she is. A stinking, filthy rat come to live off of our hard work."

Fray tapped him on the shoulder.

"What?"

Spitelout turned around and had the decency to turn a little red before Fray punched him in the face. He fell to the ground, holding his jaw. Fray shoved him onto his back and put a foot on his throat.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ call me that again."

With a final kick Fray turned and walked off. Alf stared after her for a moment before running to catch up.

"That was awesome!"

"Go away." Fray didn't look back as she quickened her pace.

"I wish I was brave enough to do that."

"Leave me alone." They were in the forest now.

"He calls me worm all the time, but that's probably because I'm usually covered in dust or dirt."

"Great. Now go away." Fray began climbing a tall pine. Alf climbed up after her, albeit with some more difficulty.

"You know," he grunted as he hauled himself onto one of the higher branches, "I think you might be the first one ever to punch him."

Fray reached the highest point she could go. She looked down at Alf. "You never stop talking, do you?"

Alf turned red. "My mom says that my tongue runs away sometimes and drags me behind."

The corner of Fray's mouth twitched upwards. "I can tell."

"Alf, Fray, dinner!"

With a little shrug, Fray climbed down. After enjoying the view for a moment and wondering for the umpteenth time what it would be like to fly on the back of a dragon, Alf followed.


	3. The Truth

The next morning Halla said, "I have some errands to run. Fray, why don't you help Alf in the attic?"

Alf was about to protest when he caught his mother's no-nonsense look. "Fine. Come on."

Fray followed him up to the attic. Alf was miffed at having his domain intruded upon and became a little surly.

"Winter stuff goes over there, anything that could be useful put there, junk goes over there."

Without further conversation they began sorting through the piles of stuff. Alf was thinking about how he was going to have to go through the junk pile and see what he could use when he noticed that Fray was leafing through a book of some kind.

"What's that?" he asked, curiosity overruling surliness.

"A notebook." Fray's eyebrows rose as she turned the page, revealing a sketch of a dragon. "A Night Fury." She whispered.

"Must be my grandpa's."

"How do you know?" Fray asked as she looked up.

"When my grandpa was a boy dragons used the attack the village all the time. They'd been doing it since Vikings first came here. Then, when my grandpa was about my age, he befriended a Night Fury. They killed a gigantic dragon called the Green Death that was making the dragons attack. The dragons followed my grandpa and the rest of the Vikings home, and dragons and humans lived together."

"But there's no dragons here now."

"Nope. The last one flew off the day before I was born."

"So you've never seen a dragon?"

Alf shifted uncomfortably. "Well…I don't really know why I'm telling you this, but…" he took a deep breath, "the day before you came, I saw a Night Fury in the woods."

"You saw a Night Fury?" Fray's voice didn't sound disbelieving. Rather, it sounded curious and ever so slightly alarmed. Alf missed the alarm in her voice as he dug around in his pockets.

"I even have proof." He pulled out the scale he had found and handed it to her. "I found that after it left."

Fray examined the scale closely before handing it back. "Has anyone else seen it?"

"No. Even if they did they wouldn't believe it."

Fray appeared to be deep in thought. "Do you think your parents would let me go fishing tomorrow?" she asked suddenly. Alf blinked in surprise.

"Probably."

That night at dinner Fray asked if she could go fishing.

"I don't see why not." Bjorn said after a moment. "Why don't you take Alf with you?"

"No!" Fray said, a bit too forcefully, "I mean, I like to go fishing alone."

Though surprised, no one objected. The next morning Fray headed out with a small lidded basket and a fishing line. She returned in the middle of the afternoon with the basket almost overflowing with fish. After that Fray often went fishing, always returning with a full basket. A month after she had come there was a storm. Lying in bed, Alf thought he heard something that was not the wind. Quietly, he got up. The noise seemed to be coming from Fray's room, next to his. He peeked inside and saw Fray tossing and turning. Just a nightmare, then. He was about to leave when Fray something in her sleep that made him stop.

"My name's Cal. Now let me go!"

Intrigued and confused, Alf opened the door a little wider as Fray's tossing and turning became more violent.

"No, no…NO!"

Fray sat bolt upright, panting. She shook her head as if to get rid of some memory.

"Everything all right?" Alf asked. Fray jumped before taking a deep breath.

"Yeah. Just a dream." She laid back down, "Just a dream."

The next day Alf and Fray went to get firewood for the kitchen fire.

"I don't think you've been entirely honest." Alf said suddenly.

"What?" Fray sounded confused.

"I don't think you've told us the truth about your name."

Fray bristled. "I'm not a liar."

"Then you haven't told us everything, then."

"What are you talking about?"

"I want to know your real name, who your parents are, why you have…" Alf stopped suddenly.

"Why I have dragon eyes?"

Alf nodded.

"You won't like what I say."

"I don't have to like it. I just want the truth."

Fray sighed. "Swear you won't tell anyone."

"I swear."

"Fray dropped her load and sat down. "I wasn't lying when I said my name was Fray. It's short for Oiche-Fraoch."*

"Oiche-Fraoch?" Alf repeated as he sat down.

"Yeah. It means Night Fury in some old tongue. I guess it makes sense, seeing as I'm the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself." There was a bitter note in her voice.

"What do you mean?"

"My mother's name meant 'lightning' and my father's name literally meant 'death itself.'"

"But how are you unholy?"

Fray bit her lip. "My father was a soldier. He was stationed in my mother's town. They had an affair. He requested a transfer when he found out that she was pregnant. In that place any child born out of wedlock is considered unholy and is treated as such."

"What happened?"

"My mother tried to find my father after I was born, only to learn that he had been killed in battle. She made her living as a seamstress. Then, when I was seven, she died. I became a street rat, working when I could find any and stealing food when I couldn't."

"Where you born with those eyes?"

"No." Fray leaned her head against the trunk of the tree. "When I was twelve I had a dream. All I remember about it was something about accepting my destiny. When I woke up I had dragon eyes. I could also…"

"What? Also what?" Alf leaned forward, enraptured by her tale.

"You'll never believe me."

"Try me."

Fray sighed. "I could turn into a dragon."

"A dragon?"

"Yeah. A Night Fury." She saw disbelief written on his face. "Come fishing with me tomorrow."

"I thought you liked fishing alone."

"If you come tomorrow you'll find out why."

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><p>* Oiche Fraoch is Irish and really does mean Night Fury. No, this does not necessarily mean that Fray is Irish, just that her name is.<p> 


	4. Fishing

The next day Alf took his own tackle and followed Fray through the woods to a high cliff overlooking the sea.

"How do you fish from up here?"

Fray's mouth twitched upwards as she set down her tackle. "I'll show you." She suddenly turned, ran, and jumped off the cliff.

"Fray!"

Alf ran to the edge of the cliff in time to see a Night Fury skim the waves and snatch a fish from the water. With a graceful swerve the dragon returned to where Alf was standing and dropped the fish into her open basket.

"You really can turn into a dragon." Alf gasped. Fray regarded him with amusement before launching herself off the cliff again. In a short amount of time both baskets were brimming with fish. Fray landed and melted back into a dark-haired girl.

"That's how I fish." Fray shrugged.

"Wow." Alf took a couple of deep breaths. "Do you think I could go for a ride?"

"I'm not a horse." Fray said acidly. Alf turned red.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that! It's just that, well, you can fly, and, well, um, Vikings used to fly on dragons all the time, uh, and, um, I was, er, just, you know, um, wondering what, uh…"

"You want to know what it's like to fly."

Alf's blush deepened as he stared at his feet and nodded.

"If you can come up with a way to hold on."

Alf looked up, his eyes sparkling. "I have a saddle."

"A saddle? You have a dragon saddle?"

"Yep. I found it in the attic."

Fray threw her hands into the air. "Sure, why not? I'm going to go fly some more."

An hour later they headed home.

"There's just one thing I don't understand." Alf said as they walked. "How did you end up here?"

Fray's brow creased in a frown. "There was a group on men, the kind you don't want to get involved with, that found out about my ability. They took me off the street and tried to get me to tell them about it. I told them my name was Cal, I didn't know what they were talking about, and snuck onto a ship that night."

"Why didn't you just fly away?"

"That's what they thought I'd do. The last thing they expected was for me to sneak onto a ship." Fray's mouth twisted into a humorless grin. "The captain didn't like stowaways, though. When he found me he threw me off. I was able to swim to the other side of the island."

"You were the Night Fury I saw!"

"Yep."

A sudden question struck Alf. "But how did you end up on the dock?"

"The storm caught me over the ocean." Fray made a face, "Night Furies make horrible swimmers."

Over the next few days Alf made a simple harness out of pieces of leather he found in the attic. He wore it under his vest the next time he and Fray went fishing. Smuggling the saddle outside was a little harder, but he managed to lower it from his window and hid it the night before. At the cliff, Fray eyed the saddle.

"Looks like it'd go on a dragon."

"Only one way to find out."

Fray rolled her eyes and shifted into a dragon. With a minimal amount of difficulty Alf managed to get the saddle on her. Feeling a bit of trepidation he climbed into the saddle and clipped on the safely line.

"Let's go."

Alf gave a startled yelp as Fray abruptly took off. For a few seconds it seemed as if his stomach had stayed behind on the cliff. When Fray hit a steady speed his nausea settled, and Alf took a few deep breaths and looked around. The sea sparkled below and the island rushed past. They rounded a huge rocky promontory and he saw a rocky arch. Dipping close to the waves, Fray shot through, causing nesting seabirds to take flight. Alf grinned, just knowing that his grandpa had done the same thing. Dodging around a column of rock, Fray went into a steep climb, almost parallel to another column. Higher and higher they went, reaching the point where snow capped the rock. Alf shivered, his knuckles white from gripping the saddle. They reached the top of the column. With a graceful arch Fray went over it and started a dive. The wind tore the scream from Alf's mouth as they went faster and faster. Just when he thought they were going to hit the water Fray tilted her wings and they soared over the waves. He took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart and blinked away the salty spray. Once again they climbed, passing into a low-flying cloud. Moisture beaded on his clothes, the saddle, Fray's scales. They burst from the cloud into sunlight, flying over a landscape of puffy whiteness. The cloud ended and Berk came into view, an emerald on a sparkling blue-green cloth. Fray angled into a shallower dive, landing on the cliff. Alf unhooked the safety line and tumbled off.

"Wow!" he said as he took the saddle off. Fray shrank back into a human and looked at him with amusement.

"How do you like flying?"

"It was amazing! I love it!"

Fray smiled. "Me too. Almost makes up for the fact that I either have to keep it a secret or get chased out by people who think I'm a monster."

Alf realized that this was the first time he had ever seen her truly smile. Her face went from pretty to beautiful; he wondered why she didn't smile more often. "Could we do it again?"

"Sure. I like hearing you scream."

Alf blushed. Fray smiled again before going to catch some fish.


	5. Secrets Revealed

Fray and Alf went fishing together often after that. Alf's parents were glad that the two had finally found a friend in each other, though they did get confused when they overheard them talking about cross-winds and air currents. Fray and Alf became an excellent team. From Fray's back, Alf was able to see how she flew and give suggestions on how she could improve. A month after Alf's first flight, Fray came up to the attic while Alf was up there cleaning.

"I've been a little uneasy about something."

"What?" Alf knew Fray would only tell him she was uneasy if there was a good reason.

"I can feel this sort of…pull. It wouldn't be a problem, except that it's getting stronger. At first I could barely feel it as a dragon, and I couldn't feel it at all as a human, but it's gotten so strong I can feel it right now."

Alf frowned. "What do you think is causing it?"

Fray sighed. "I don't know. Tomorrow I'm going fishing alone."

"Just be careful." Alf sounded worried. Fray grinned.

"Don't worry."

The next afternoon Fray found Alf in the forest, gathering wood. She looked pale and scared. Alf had never seen her look that frightened and was immediately worried.

"What is it?"

"I know where the dragons have gone." She whispered, "And there's…something else."

Alf nodded. "We'll go fishing tomorrow, if we can get away with it. Right now you should try to calm down."

That night Bjorn mentioned that livestock had been disappearing in greater and greater quantities. Halla expressed concern while Fray and Alf looked at each other, frowning. Fray mentioned that there was a large school of cod hanging off the coast and suggested that she and Alf take advantage of it. Bjorn, worried about the rash of livestock disappearances, agreed. Fray was pensive the next morning as they walked to the cliff, and Alf saddled her without any of his usual banter. They flew fast and straight, and soon a wall of mist loomed in front of them. Fray entered it, flying above and occasionally around jagged rock formations. Alf noticed that Fray's ears were twitching, and there was a sort of buzzing and humming sound that grew louder as they went on. He was sure the noise couldn't get any louder when they reached a huge mountain with a pebbly beach. Fray entered a tunnel, and Alf crouched low to avoid smacking his head against the stalactites that lined the roof. The tunnel wound for a bit, and then they suddenly emerged into a gigantic cavern, lit from below with an eerie red glow. A mist of some sort obscured the floor and hid the light source. Alf almost gasped with the heat. It was like a furnace. Fray landed on a ledge high up, partially covered with a column of rock. Alf didn't dare get off. For one thing, the cavern was teeming with dragons. They occupied most of the ledges lining the walls. He recognized the different species, but was awed by the sheer numbers. Nothing could prepare him for what happened next. A head the size of a house emerged from the mists, filling the space with a growl.

"What is that?" he whispered. Then he remembered the stories. This was the same thing his grandpa had fought. "We'd better get out of here."

Fray crouched, but didn't leave until the head had disappeared back into the mists. Back at the cliff, Alf took Fray's saddle off.

"That must be the Green Death, the same thing my grandpa fought."

Fray shook her head and shrank back into a human. "Guess the story was true after all."

"What are we going to do?"

"What can we do? We can't fight that thing alone."

Alf ran a hand through his ginger hair. "My grandpa did."

"But we don't know exactly how he did it. If we were to go and fight it right now it would be certain death for both of us."

"But we can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Fray grabbed his shoulders and for the third time in his life Alf found himself staring into those yellowish-green eyes. "We have to think. Rushing off and getting killed won't help anything." She let go and headed towards the cliff. "I promised your dad some cod."

The late afternoon sun beat down on Alf as he sat near his house, arranging dirt into piles. The return of the Green Death worried him. He knew that Fray was right and they shouldn't just rush off, but the inactivity galled him.

"Hey, worm, where's the rat?"

"Leave me alone, Spitelout."

"Better be careful. Rats like to eat worms."

"Just because you can't turn into a Night Fury." Alf didn't realize he had said that out loud until he heard Spitelout run off. Now he'd really put his foot in it. He'd better find Fray and hope she didn't kill him.

Fray returned from the forest with some wild onions that she had found. Bjorn was standing by the back door. Some instinct made her slow down.

"Fray, I need to talk to you."

Her heartbeat quickened as she stopped in front of Bjorn, eyes cast downward.

"I've been told you can turn into a Night Fury."

Fray went cold inside. Alf had told.

"Can you?"

Fray met his eyes, hers seeming to glow in the shadow of the house.

"Yes, I can."

Alf came back after sunset, tired and discouraged. He had looked all over for Fray but hadn't found her. His dad was standing by the back door, eyes closed, looking deep in thought. Maybe he would know.

"Have you seen Fray?" Alf gasped as he ran up. His dad opened his eyes and shook himself free of his thoughts.

"She ran off into the woods a while ago. Did you know about her being able to turn into a Night Fury?"

Alf didn't hear the second half. He ran his hands through his hair in a distracted manner. "This is bad. I've got to find her!" He started off, but his dad held him back.

"You'll never find her at night. Best wait 'til morning. Now answer me. Did you know she could turn into a Night Fury?"

Alf could not meet his father's eyes. "Yes."

"How long?"

"About a month."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Alf looked up. "I promised."

Bjorn smiled a little. "You'll make a good chieftain some day."

"If I can stop putting my foot in my big fat mouth." Alf muttered.

"You'll learn. Get inside. Your mother's worried."


	6. Hiccup

Alf couldn't sleep that night. He was standing at his window when a house caught fire. A huge pair of wings momentarily blotted out the stars. He dutifully went and woke his parents, but didn't mention the dragon. They might think it was Fray, despite the fact that the wings had been too large to be hers. The fire was soon put out, but Alf overheard his father saying that a large number of sheep had vanished. The excitement over, Alf managed to catch a few fitful hours of sleep before dawn, when he left to look for Fray. Following a hunch, he went to the cliff. Sure enough, Fray was there, chin on knees, staring at the sea. She didn't look at Alf as she came up beside her.

"You swore you wouldn't say anything."

"I know. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, honest."

"The problem with apologies is that they don't really fix anything."

Alf sat down beside her. After a few minutes of silence he said, "A dragon set a house on fire last night. No one else saw it, but a lot of sheep went missing at the same time. If something isn't done, the dragons will be attacking outright." He looked at Fray. "We need you."

Fray turned to look at him. "Let me get this straight. You had to shoot your mouth off so that the entire village knows my secret. Now you're coming to me and asking me to go to what will probably mean my death for people who would just as soon kill me as look at me."

Alf looked away and nodded.

"Alright. Where do we start?"

Alf looked up in surprise. "You'll help?"

"Yeah. Let's go before I change my mind."

Grinning, Alf got to his feet and helped Fray up. "First, we need to find my grandpa and ask exactly how he killed the Green Death."

"How are we going to do that? I thought he went crazy and disappeared years ago."

Alf shook his head. "He did act strange around other people, but around me, he didn't seem that crazy. I'm not sure why. When I was little, he was always taking me out into the forest and showing me stuff. One time…" Alf paused as the memory surfaced.

_It was the last time Hiccup was going to take his grandson out into the forest, though Alf didn't know that. Hiccup smiled as the red-headed boy bounced along beside him._

_ "Where we goin' today, grandpa?" Alf asked eagerly, "Is it that place with the funny mushrooms?"_

_ Hiccup smiled as he shook his head. "Nope. Today I'm going to show you a special place. If you ever need me, that's where I'll be."_

_ Alf wrinkled his nose in confusion. "But grandpa, you live in the same house I do."_

_ "For now." Hiccup said as he ruffled his grandson's ginger hair. Alf, content with this answer, skipped along._

_ "What's the place you're gonna show me? Is it special?"_

_ "It's a very special place, where one of my friends lives. It's called…"_

"The cove!"

Alf took off, with Fray close behind. He led her towards the village, and then suddenly veered inland. After a while Alf began recognizing the familiar landmarks his grandpa had shown him all those years ago.

"Down the slope, around the boulders, under the root…"

Suddenly he stopped and stared, causing Fray to nearly plow into him.

"What…" suddenly she stopped and stared as he did. They were on a ledge, looking down on a peaceful scene. Gray stone surrounded the cove. At one end a waterfall fell into a huge pond that covered a good deal of the ground. Smack-dab in the middle of the cove was a tiny cabin. Smoke curled up from the chimney, indicating that it was occupied. Cautiously, they made their way down. Alf, after some slight hesitation, knocked on the door. There was a crash, followed by a thumping noise. The door flew open and they were confronted by a small, wiry, gray-haired old man.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded, looking perturbed.

"Um, are you Hiccup?" Alf asked, taken aback.

"That's my name."

"I'm Alf. Um, I'm your grandson."

Hiccup peered closer at Alf and a grin replaced his scowl. "So you are! I'd recognize that hair anywhere. Come in!"

Alf and Fray entered the tidy one-room cabin. As Hiccup moved to take a teakettle off the fire, Fray noticed that one leg had been replaced with a prosthetic made of wood and metal. Alf, of course, already knew about it.

"So what brings you here?"

"We need to know exactly how you defeated the Green Death." Alf answered.

"Why come all the way out here? Surely they tell the story in the village still."

"Because there's another Green Death."

Hiccup stared at them in surprise before limping to the door with speed surprising for one of his age and handicap.

"Toothless! Get in here, you useless reptile!" He went over to a basket standing at the foot of his bed and started rummaging through it. "Where'd I put that blasted thing? Can't fly without it."

"Um, I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to go."

Hiccup looked up. "Why not? I was the one that killed it last time."

"Well, um, it's just that, no offense or anything, but, uh, you're not really as young as you were, and, er…"

"You're old." Fray said bluntly, "Your reflexes aren't as good as they used to be. It would mean certain death for you, rather than just probable death for us."

Hiccup jumped and peered at Fray. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

"This is Fray." Alf said, turning a little red at his forgetfulness.

"Well, Fray, you have beautiful eyes. And you've also got a point." He sighed before going back to the door. "Toothless, you sorry excuse for a lizard…" he sighed again and turned to the others. "Would one of you mind yelling? I'm afraid I'm not as loud as I used to be."

Fray went to the door. "TOOTHLESS, GET IN HERE!"

"Got quite the lungs, doesn't she?" Hiccup whispered to his grandson. A second later a Night Fury, almost as old-looking as Hiccup, bounded in. He growled when he saw the newcomers.

"Calm down, Toothless, they're friends."

Toothless stopped growing, but remained cautious. Hiccup sighed.

"That one's Alf, my grandson. The other one's Fray."

Toothless sniffed at Alf before going over to Fray. Their eyes met. Toothless, seeing eyes that were the same as his and sensing a kindred spirit behind those eyes, dropped all wariness and began rubbing against her, making a sound that was part purr and part gurgle. Fray made the same sound as she scratched him.

"Some watch-dragon you are." Hiccup said fondly, "First you don't warn me when people come, then you fall for the first girl with pretty eyes."

"So, could you tell us exactly how you defeated the Green Death?" Alf asked hopefully.

"Yes, but unless you have a dragon, it'd be kind of pointless."

"We have one." Fray said, "Me."

"She can turn into a Night Fury." Alf explained.

"I'd dearly love to see that." Hiccup said as he sat down, "You've heard the story. After the whole ship fiasco I got on Toothless and did a bit of heroics. I noticed that the Green Death had wings. We provoked it into chasing us. After dodging around the rocks and realizing it wasn't slowing down we headed up into the clouds. I told Toothless to aim for the wings and he blasted as many holes in them as he could. We went into a dive with the Death hard on our heels. When it was about to fry us Toothless lit its fuel on fire. By the time we could see the ground the Death was going too fast to stop. We got out of there pretty fast." He glanced at his prosthetic, "But not fast enough. The tail fin I made burnt up, and we crashed into its tail. I got knocked off and fell into the explosion. That's how I lost my leg. If it weren't for Toothless, I'd have lost a lot more."

"Wait. Explosion?" Fray asked.

"Yep. The Green Death exploded when it hit the ground. That's one thing you'd best watch out for."

"How'd you get it to come out in the first place?" Alf asked.

Hiccup shook his head. "I wasn't there when it happened, but I heard they cracked the mountain open with catapults."

"I'll go talk to my dad." Alf said as he began heading towards the door.

"Could I stay here?" Fray asked Hiccup, "I don't think they'd like me in the village."

"Of course. I haven't had company in a long time. Maybe you could show me how you turn into a Night Fury."

Alf grinned and went out. As he made his way up and out of the cove, he heard Hiccup cry, "You really can turn into a Night Fury!"


	7. Final Confrontation

At the village Alf found his father helping to repair the burned building.

"Dad, I need to talk to you. Right now."

"Can it wait?"

"No, it really can't."

With a sigh Bjorn came over. "What is it?"

In a hushed voice Alf explained about the Green Death and the need for catapults. When he was done his father ran a hand through his beard.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Dead sure. I've never been surer in my life."

Bjorn looked into his son's green eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. "I believe you. But to find the Nest, we need a dragon."

"We have a dragon. Fray."

"But will she help us?"

"She will. I asked."

Bjorn let out a long breath. "All right. We leave tomorrow morning. Make sure Fray's there."

"Thanks, dad." Alf gave his father a quick hug. "I'll go tell her."

His father watched Alf run off. He'd make a good leader, once he grew up. With a sigh, he went to give the orders.

Alf hiked back to the cove to tell Fray and Hiccup that his father had agreed to supply the catapults. Hiccup looked thoughtful, but said nothing.

"I'll meet you at the house at dawn." Fray said, "Hiccup said I could stay here for the night."

Alf nodded and left to make his own preparations. The next morning at dawn he went outside to find Fray silently waiting.

"I'm not sure about this." She said quietly.

"Neither am I, but it has to be done."

Fray frowned for a moment, then shook off her grim mood and gave him a quick grin. "I always wanted to die a hero."

The village began stirring. Alf got the saddle, and together they watched as the final preparations were made. When the ships were ready, Alf went down to the docks, Fray following silently like a shadow. Bjorn's ship was the farthest one out. The crews of the other ships stared at Fray as they passed. Alf knew she was looking uninterested in the ships, but he could feel her tensed up behind him. They reached Bjorn's ship. The crew was busy securing everything, so Fray was spared the accusing stares. They went to the rear, where Bjorn was. He nodded to them.

"Head out!" he called. The ships set sail, with Bjorn's in the lead. The crews were silent, apart from quiet mutterings. When they reached the mists, Bjorn motioned for Fray to get to the fore. Most of the men jumped and stared when she passed them. They entered the mist. Fray called directions, guiding them past huge, jagged rock formations. Alf became aware of the buzzing and humming sounds from the last time he had been here. They were getting close. At last they reached the pebbly beach of the Nest. Fray was obviously uneasy, but helped to set up the five gigantic catapults without complaint. When everything was ready she said, "I'll see you all in the afterlife" and shifted into a dragon, extracting "ooh"s and "aah"s from the watching Vikings. Alf deftly saddled her and got on.

"We're ready."  
>The order was given and the catapults began bombarding the mountainside. After a while they broke through, revealing a large black hole. Everyone waited in uneasy silence. Alf could feel Fray tensing up. Finally she climbed up to the hole and roared a challenge. Hundreds of dragons streamed out of the hole. Fray bounded down and moved uneasily, ears flat and head low. Alf patted her shoulder.<p>

"Don't worry, we'll do it."

Fray gave him a "yeah, right" look. Then the ground began shaking. Cracks appeared in the mountainside, and the gigantic head of the Green Death burst through, followed by the rest of the gargantuan dragon.

"Go time!"

Fray took off. With a sharp turn she flew past and hit the Death with a lightning-like blast of fire. The Death answered back with its own jet of flame, coming perilously close to the ships. Fray swooped closer and hit it in the side of the head. Faster than anyone anticipated, it opened its jaws and began sucking her in. Despite her frantic flapping, Fray was losing. Alf hung on, knowing that any distraction could cost them both their lives. There was the sound of an explosion, and the sucking stopped. Fray shot off and dived-bombed the Death, hitting it so hard it crashed onto its side. With a roar the gargantuan dragon spread its massive wings and took off, flying after them. Fray began leading it in a merry chase through the rocks in an effort to gain some distance. They could hear it crashing through, not even slowing down.

"This isn't working. Try the clouds!"

Fray shot upwards, vanishing into the gray mists. The Death was close behind. It lost sight of them and hovered uncertainly, roaring and trying to find them. Coming up from behind, Fray began blasting as many holes in its wings as she could. The Death roared in pain and began spewing fire haphazardly. Fray expertly dodged it, with help from Alf as he watched her back. When the fire became next to impossible to dodge Fray flew close to the Death's head and started the final dive. The Death followed, just like they wanted. Alf kept his eyes on its fearsome jaws, trying not to imagine himself between them. When he saw a cloud of green gas begin to form he yelled, "Now!" Fray flipped over and shot one last blast into its mouth. Fire blossomed and Fray turned over to continue the dive. What they hadn't counted on was the Death taking a swipe at them. The safety line snapped as the gigantic clawed foot slammed into them. Alf and Fray tumbled independently from each other as the ground came into view. Fray saw that she had two choices: avoid crashing, or save Alf. She had no second thoughts. With a few powerful flaps she caught up with Alf, grabbed him, and wrapped her wings around him a split second before she slammed into the ground. Stunned, it took her a moment to realize that the Green Death was about to crash very close to them. Her entire right side screamed in pain when she tried to move. Behind her, the Death hit the ground and exploded, just as Hiccup said it would. The explosion lifted Fray and slammed her back down before engulfing her in flames.

Alf tumbled through the air, unable to hear his own scream. He had just resigned himself to his fate when strong scaly forelegs wrapped around him. He caught a glimpse of Fray's determined face before he was encased by black wings. Alf felt the impact, heard the sickening crunch, felt the explosion lift Fray up only to slam her down again. There was a roaring sound, and he could see a reddish glow through her wings. After what felt like an eternity the glow faded, and the only sounds were Fray's labored breathing and his own. For yet another eternity he waited, realizing that Fray was either waiting until it was safe or unconscious. Finally the wings lifted and Fray let go. Alf scrambled to his feet, shaken but unhurt. Fray, on the other hand, looked like a mess, even in dragon form. He could tell that she had some serious injuries on her right side, even from this angle. She looked at the saddle straps, then back at Alf. He gently undid the buckles, allowing the remains of the saddle to fall away. Fray closed her eyes and melted back into human form. Now that he could see the full extent of the damage Alf wished for a moment that she hadn't. Gently, he knelt down and cradled her in his arms. Her eyes flickered open.

"We did it." She whispered. Her eyes closed, and her head lolled to one side.

"Yes, we did it." Alf said quietly.


	8. Coming Around

Something nudged Fray's cheek. She moaned, but didn't open her eyes. It nudged her again. Sighing in defeat, Fray opened her eyes and found herself staring into the face of Toothless.

"Hey, Toothless."

Toothless made a comforting sound, trotted to the door, and made a purring noise. While he was doing that, Fray saw that she was in her room in Alf's house. Her ribs were bandaged and her right arm was in a splint from her shoulder to her elbow and tied to her chest to keep it from moving. Alf and Hiccup came in.

"Glad to see you awake." Hiccup said, smiling.

"You were there, weren't you?" Fray said quietly, "When the Green Death was sucking us in, you stopped it."

"Yep," Hiccup beamed, "Turns out we could make it there and back after all."

Alf grinned, and then looked away shyly, blushing a little. "Thanks for saving my life."

"We're even now."

Alf looked up. "Not really. I owe you."

"We're even, Alf. Get over it."

"No, we're not."

"Alf, come here."

Alf came over to the bedside. Fray punched him in the arm as hard as she could left-handed.

"Ow! OK, OK, we're even." Alf said as he rubbed his now bruised arm. Fray suddenly grabbed his shirt, pulled him close, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Now we're even."

Alf stared at her in shock, his face turning a brilliant shade of red. Hiccup laughed.

"Your grandma used to do that to me all the time."

Fray grinned, tried to sit up, and fell back, gasping in pain.

"Mom says if you want to get up you have to have help." Alf said, his face returning to its normal color.

"Thanks for telling me. Now help me get up."

Two pairs of skinny arms lifted Fray out of bed. Alf put her left arm around his neck and his right arm around her waist to steady her.

"There's something you have to see." He said as he helped her out of her room and outside. Fray gasped when she saw the village. There were dragons everywhere.

"Just like what happened to me." Hiccup said, "But this time no one lost a limb."

"I knew insanity ran in families." Fray muttered with a grin. Alf chuckled as Halla came around the corner of the house, a basket on her hip.

"Oh, Fray, you're awake!" she hurried up to them, "You shouldn't be out of bed yet."

"She needed to see this." Hiccup gestured to the village.

Halla shook her head as she smiled. "Your idea, I take it?"

"No, actually it was Alf's idea."

"Well, I know where he got it from." Halla's smile widened, "You're living here again, right, dad?"

Hiccup scuffed his false foot in the dirt. "I don't know. I haven't been around people much in years…"

_"Right, dad?"_

"Yes, ma'am." Hiccup said meekly.

Halla grinned in a satisfied manner. "Good. Fray, you should get back to bed."

"Yes, ma'am." Fray and Alf said at the same time. They looked at each other, smiled, and went inside.

* * *

><p>Strange, no? However, I'd just like to say that this story was approved by a group of sixth graders. ;)<p> 


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